First Celebration of Mexican Day of the Dead in Gridley

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Last week a traditional Mexican celebration bridged the gap between cultures and brought our community together to celebrate the Day of the Dead, or Día De Los Muertos – the first event of its kind held in Gridley.

In Mexican heritage, the Day of the Dead, falls annually on November 2^nd and is believed to be a day when loved ones who have died may return to this realm to visit their families and friends.

Brought to the community by the City of Gridley, Ampla Health, and Co-Organizers Rocio Valdez of Ampla Health and Gridley City Councilmember Angel Calderon, the event benefitted the Gridley Museum.

The gazebo of Daddow Park was the heart of the celebration, with a colorful and traditional Día de Los Muertos style altar, composed of three distinct levels and decorated with flags, flowers, pictures, candles, and offerings for the dead. Calderon explained the significance of the three levels to the crowd; The lowest level represented death on an Earthly plane, the middle level the transitional realm between Earth and Heaven, and the third and highest level, representing that of Heaven.

As the crowd grew, spectators were treated to a beautiful traditional dance. Three women, dressed in white with their painted faces shrouded in colorful shawls danced to “La Llorona” which translates to the “weeping woman”. Calderon explains that in Mexican culture, La Llorona cries for her lost loved ones. The three ladies, Rocio Rubio, Lisa Aaron, and Fabiola Flores stunned the crowd with their sorrowful, yet gorgeous, routine.

As the program continued, guests visited the booths, and healthcare-based organizations present. Guests were invited to research their family lineage at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints family history booth, children and adults got into the spirit of the night by having their faces painted in the Catrina style (the decorative skeletal face painting), children colored Día De Los Muertos themed coloring sheets, and viewed artwork courtesy of students from Gridley High School. There was even a children’s Catrina costume contest! Ampla Health and other health-based organizations present offered information and services to visitors.

At one point, Calderon called everyone together for a special ritual. He says, “The ritual I did is an ancient Maya ritual. Whenever they had a war or a pandemic, or a crisis like that, they will do this ritual…. It is called En Lak Etch and the En Lak Etch means “you are my other me.” He continues, “The whole idea is for us to be on the same page,” and to come together as a community, always, and especially during this pandemic.

In the ritual, which Calderon performed at Día De Los Muertos, he had all the agencies present and others come together in a circle holding candles. With his lit candle, Calderon turned to his neighbor, lighting theirs while saying “You are my other me.” This was repeated until the circle was complete, with all candles lit. Therein, those involved made an agreement to honor the spirit of the ritual and be there for their community and neighbors.

This Day of the Dead Celebration invited our community, which has been hit hard by COVID-19, to come together in what was basically a “Celebration of Life” event to grieve, to honor those lost to the virus or otherwise, and to help heal after that loss.

The first annual Day of the Dead Celebration was a huge hit and plans are to have a second, potentially larger Day of the Dead Celebration in 2022.